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THE SECRETS OF

ANIMAL MAGNETISM,
MESMERISM,
CLAIRVOYANCY and MIND READING

HOW TO DEVELOP
THE MAGNETIC POWER
WITH CHAPTERS ON

Thought Reading and Mental


Impressions::^ A
-BY-".-t
»
*.

*• * •* .•

JOHN D. BARNES

Publishers
THE PROGRESSIVE PUBLISHING CO.
CHICAGO
*H
$
CO

CLASS «^XX«u Wo-

7
copy «.

Copyright 1903

by
PROGRESSIVE PUBLISHING CO.
Chicago, 111.
V

PREFACE.

Many works have been heretofore published on the


subject of Magnetism, Mesmerism, and other mysterious
powers. The public mind has been awakened to the
fact that these powers do exist, and as we advance with
time, as those who read and think over what they read,
the believers in the existence of these powers are growing
steadily in numbers, and were those who have been con-
vinced, many of them against a strong prejudice, of the
power of the mysterious, they would number a vast army,
and among its ranks would be found many of the fore-
most thinkers of the day.
In the preparation of this work the author has spent
many weary months in the researches of Scientific and
Historical records, and has endeavored to present the
records thus obtained in a concisely published form, and
he thereby is enabled to furnish it at a price within the
reach of all.
History informs us that the principles of Sympathetic
or Animal Magnetism were known to the Ancients, but
their practices were enshrouded in mystery .
The Egyptian Priests used this knowledge in the per-
formance of the holy rites of their office, and candidates
for holy orders were initiated in its mysteries. It was
also made use of by these holy men for the cure of dis-
ease,and that celebrated Savant, Gregory Bishop of
Tours used this power of Sympathetic Fascination when
he declared to those who undertook the pilgrimage to
the tombs: "Behold I say unto you, any person, whom-
soever he may be, coming to these holy sepulchers, who
shall come in faith and prayer, shall be speedily cured of
whatsoever illness he shall be possessed."
Let us but stop and consider the proofs of the exist-
ence of Magnetism as shown in the every day walk of
life. Let one of a numerous company give way to
laughter, or, if you
please, yawning, is it not contagious?
Does it not affect others in a more or less degree? Then,
again, is it not daily demonstrated how easily one may
overcome the anger of another by observing a calm self-
possession.
Reference is made in this work to the use of Mesmerism
as a cure for the simpler ailments to which the human
flesh is heir to, but the author would not be understood
as advocating the non-use of medical practitioners, but
that its practice will serve as a great aid in performing
cures, there can be no doubt in the minds of many thinking
persons who will honestly, and without prejudice, peruse
these pages.
The author in conclusion asks your kind consideration
of his work, firm in the belief that in its pages you will
find both pleasure and great profit.
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS
OF

MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY


PRACTICAL TEACHINGS

Mesmerism # Clairvoyancy

HOW TO DEVELOP THE MAGNETIC POWER.


To all I would say, cultivate and develop the
Magnetic power within you to the greatest extent,
and render yourself impervious to all other im-
pressions ; this is essential if you mean to be a
good mesmerist, or else in experimenting when
others are present, you may be impressed yourself,
and your experiment would then come to a ridicu-
lous and premature termination.
In the first place avoid strong and intoxicating
drinks, spirituous liquors are particularly bad ;
cleanse your body thoroughly every week or
often er with warm water, rubbing the skin well
dry with a rough towel afterwards.
Avoid heavy eating and meats of hard digestion,
as theserender the faculties dull and heavy, the
stomach drawing support from the brain to enable
it to digest the food.
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

Avoid anger, fear and passion of every kind ;

keep yourself calm, thoughtful, and let your diet be


light and easy of digestion, and consisting mostly
of fruits or vegetables.
If you are diseased or ill, do not Mesmerize at
all until you are quite well, or you will inflict a sad
injury upon your subject or patient.
The healthy may Mesmerize the sick, and with
great advantage to the latter, but do not let the
sick Mesmerize the healthy.
By attending to the foregoing, and keeping
your mind calm and collected and attaining to
what is generally called " Self possession/ '
you
will augment the Magnetic power within you to
the greatest possible extent.
Then again, in your actions, do not let yourself
be persuaded by others, unless you are in the
wrong, when it is manly and honorable to confess
it, but not otherwise, for it allows the Magnetism
of another to overcome your own, and tends to
make you "negative," which you should be most
careful to avoid. Therefore always aim at per-
suading others.
The next two points are very important ; First,
the Eyes ; these must be practiced so as to render
them searching and piercing, and able to with-
stand the intent gazing of any other person. To
do this it is necessary to gaze steadfastly at objects
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY.

without wavering the eye and as long as possible ;

the morning is considered the best time for this


practice the mind being then fresh and free from
the day's cares. At first the eyes become suffused
with water, after which they will gain strength,
and you will be enabled to gaze intently at any-
thing for any length of time without inconveni-
ence. This cultivation of the gaze is very neces-
sary.
The next point is the cultivation of the mind
and the concentration of the thoughts and ideas.
To have this power in perfection you should
conjure up from memory, some past event of
which you have some slight recollection, then
turn your attention to it with all the power you
possess, and draw it in your mind as though it
were present with you, think it steadily over and
picture everything in your mind clearly.
This concentration of the mind and the
thoughts, should be steadily and persistently per-
severed in until, after a while, past scenes may be
reviewed mentally with all the vivacity and reality
of the present. In developing thought-reading
this is very necessary.
It may be a little difficult at the first, but it is
very essential, and may be soon mastered by per-
severence.
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

HOW TO MESMERIZE AND OPERATE ON OTHERS.

The following from Dr. Gregory of Mesmeric


celebrity, I have found the best method, so will
give it :

"If you try the experiment of drawing the


points of the fingers of your right hand, without
contact, but very near, over the hands of several
persons, downward from the wrist, the hands of the
persons being held with the palms upwards, and
your fingers either all abreast, or one following
the other, and repeat this, slowly, several times,
you will most probably find one or more, who
very distinctly perceive a peculiar sensation, which
is not always the same in different persons, some
will feel a slight warmth, others a pricking, some
will feel a tingling, and others a numbness ; such
as perceive these sensations most distinctly, may
then be tested, and will be found, probably, very
clear and consistent with themselves, even if
blindfolded, but sometimes blindfolding produces
at once a state of nervous disturbance, most un-
favorable to clear perception.
" You may now, having found a person suscepti-
ble to a certain extent, proceed to try the effects of
passes, made slowly with both your hands down-
wards, from the crown of the head downwards,
over the face to the pit of the stomach, or even
down to the feet, avoiding contact, but keeping
as near as possible without contact ; or you may
make the passes laterally, and so downward over
the arms.
"It is necessary to act with a cool and deter-
MESMERISM AND CLA1RVOYANCY.

mined mind, and firm will, while the patient is


perfectly passive, and undisturbed by the voice or
otherwise ; he ought to look steadily at the eyes
of the operator, who in his turn ought to gaze
firmly at his subject.
"The passes should be continued ratiently for
some time and will generally excite the sensations
before mentioned, viz., warmth, coolness, prick-
ing, tinkling, creeping of the skin, or numbness,
according to the person on whom you operate.
"When these sensations are very marked, the
subject will, in all probability turn out a good
one.
"Itis probable that with patience andpersever-
ence a vigorous healthy operator would finally
succeed in affecting all persons, but in some cases
which have afterwards become very sensitive, the
subject has only been affected at first with great
difficulty, and only after much perseverence, or
even has not been at all affected at the first, nay,
even for many successive trials.
"The operator must not be discouraged, if he
perseveres the chances of success are much in-
creased, whilst he will often meet with cases in
which a few minutes will suffice to produce strong
effects.
"Another, and in some cases a more successful
method, is to sit down close to, and before the
patient, to take hold of his thumbs in your hands
and fingers and gently pressing them, to gaze
steadfastly in his eyes, concentrating your mind-
upon him, while he does the same, this is at least
in the beginning less fatiguing, than making the
JO PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

new and unaccustomed motion of the passes ;


although with a little practice it is easy to make
several hundred passes uninterruptedly.
"I cannot give a decided preference to either
method, both will sometimes fail and both are
often successful, they may be combined, that is,
alternately, and often with advantage.
"Two things are desirable; first, a passive and
willing state of mind in the patient, although
faith in Mesmerism is not at all necessary, but a
bonaflde passivity or willingness on the part of the
patient to be operated on ; this, however, signifies
little in susceptible cases.
"Secondly — Intense concentration of the mind
on the part of the operator. It is self evident
that to obtain this, perfect silence is necessary.
" The time required varies from a few minutes to
an hour or more, but usually diminishes on repeti-
tion.
" Intent gazing alone, especially if well practiced
by both parties, will often produce the sensations
above named without close proximity."
Thus far for Dr. Gregory, all of which I endorse;
some operators use a disc or bright piece of metal,
atwhich the patient gazes, whilst the operator
makes the passes ; this in some cases is preferable
to intent gazing, which in public or amongst
friends would appear highly ludicrous.

THE MESMERIC SLEEP.


"The continues Dr. Gregory
same practices"
:
when continued longer give rise to phenomena
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. II

still more striking, and I shall now proceed to


these while it is unnecessary to repeat the details
of the passes, which as already said, suffice to pro-
duce the whole train of Mesmeric phenomena.
"The first is twitching of the eye-lids which
begin to droop, when, even where the eye-lids are.
open, there is in many cases a veil as it were,
drawn before the eyes, concealing the operator's
face and other objects. Now soon comes on a
drowsiness, and after a time all consciousness is
lost suddenly, and on awaking, the patient has no
idea whatever, how long it is since he fell asleep,
nor what has occurred during his sleep, the whole
is a blank, but he generally wakes up with a deep
sigh rather suddenly, and says he has had a very
pleasant slumber, without the least idea whether
for five minutes or five hours ; he has been more
or less deeply in the Mesmeric Sleep, it is a state
of somnambulism, sleep walking, or more cor-
rectly sleep-waking; It is a sound, calm, and
undisturbed sleep, that is, it is not broken by
gleams of ordinary consciousness, but the sleeper
answers when spoken to by the mesmerist, and
answers rationally and sensibly, If desired he
will rise and walk with his eyes closed, or if open,
either turned up or insensible to the light,
"When the subject has become fully asleep so as
to answer questions readily ' and without waking,
there is almost always observed a great and
remarkable change in the face and countenance,
the manner and voice.
"On falling to sleep, at first he looks perhaps
drowsy and sleepy, like a person dozing at church,
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

or at a table, or overcome by fatigue, or stupified


by drink, but when spoken to, he usually brightens
and although his eves may be closed, yet the
expression becomes sprightly and intelligent, quite
as much so as if he saw, and the deeper the Mes-
meric Sleep, the more bright and intelligent
becomes the look and the countenance. Clair-
'
voyance is but a deep Mesmeric Sleep.'
When it is desired to awake the patient, you
must make a few reverse passes, that is from the
pit of the stomach upwards over the head, and give
him a gentle but sudden shake, and say to him,
" You are all right now. ''

Do not handle him roughly.

CLAIRVOYANCE,
Mesmeric Clairvoyance is produced by the
passes as before taught.
It is rarely that a person becomes clairvoyant at
the first sitting, but such cases are not altogether
quite unknown, clairvoyance usually comes on by
degrees, the sleep becoming deeper and more
perfect at each succeeding sitting.
When you have produced a deep sleep upon
your patient, you must gently tell him that you
wish him to visit a certain place, and which you
will describe to him, if he hesitates you must try
and persuade him, but if he still objects, it is
better to defer it until another sitting; if he
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 1
3

expresses a willingness to go, as is generally the


case, ask him how the house is situated, the win-
dows or surroundings, or such other characteristics
as you know belong to the place, if he does not
give a very correct account, it is probable he has
gone to the wrong place, in which case you musr
explain it more fully to him.
We must here touch on " Phrenology ;" It
will be well to buy a small phrenological head,
which can be obtained at most chemists for about
a dollar, as this will show the location of the dif-
ferent organs,' much better than can be described
on paper.
When the patient is in the Mesmeric Sleep, the
operator can produce wonderful phenomena, by
exciting the different phrenological organs of the
brain.
The organ termed " Individuality." situated
just above the nose, is the principal one to bring
the patient into the Mesmeric Sleep, by pointing
at this (for it is not necessary to touch it) he will
tell you on being asked, about himself and his
own affairs, his ailments, and what is best for his
health, this organ bringing the mind into the
.fittest state for interrogation.
Another organ is "Combativeness/' situated at
the back of the ears, which being pointed at,
will cause him to strike furiously at anybody or
14 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

anything in front of him, and to put himself in a


very pugnacious attitude.
By exciting "Mirthfulness," he will laugh and
display the greatest hilarity, and each other organ
possesses its own peculiar qualities.
Now the reason I have broughtphrenology in,
is this, that sometimes the patient in the Mesmeric
Sleep cannot see, speak, or hear andibly or plainly,
in such case it is necessary to excite certain
organs.
For instance if in his clairvoyant travels he
says it is dark so that he cannot see, you must
point your fingers towards his eyes and say,
" Now you can see.' 7

Then again in answering questions or speaking,


if he articulates inaudibly, or mumbles, so you
cannot understand what he is saying, excite the
organ of language which is situated just beneath
the eyes, and he will then immediately speak
plainly.
Again should he hear imperfectly, point towards
the ear with your fingers and say, "Now you can
hear," when his hearing will become perfect.
In Clairvoyance it is most essential to have the
organs of hearing, seeing, and speaking well
excited and developed, that he may be able to
tell what he hears and sees in his travels.
The deeper stages of clairvoyance, can only be
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 1 5

arrived at by practice, frequent sittings, and com-


plete control over the by degrees the
patient ;

mind will become more lucid, and not only able


to tell of the past and present, and not only able
to describe far off places and visit far off friends,
but also to obtain glimpses into the obscure future.
There has been discovered no limits to the
lucidity of the clairvoyant ; walls and the habita-
tions of men, are no hindrance to the flight of
the spirit, it can pass through fire, through air,
through water, through earth, and limit there is
nonel
The higher the degrees of clairvoyance, the
more angelic and benefic becomes the presence
and countenance, which assumes a most angelic
expression, especially with females, whose faces
usually become bright and radiant as with joy.
Think not reader that without patience and
little trouble you can get your subject into this
desirable state of Mesmeric Sleep, what you must
do is to practice and persevere, and if your subject
does not progress satisfactorily, which is some-
times the case, and is no fault on either side, for
all persons are not formed alike, then seek
another, and experiment; generally females are
better than males, their senses being more pene-
trating, susceptible, and keen, and their nerves
sensitive ; children also form very excellent sub-
l6 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

jects for Mesmerism, and are very easily acted


upon.
You will, generally, and I may say, almost
invariably find each succeeding sleep deeper than
the last.
It now remains for you to operate and also cul-
tivate the Mesmeric influence.
Never use force at anytime, or insist on the
patient doing any thing, as this is very injurious
to the patient, and gives rise to a feeling of antip-
athy, which is most desirable to avoid.
With respect to absent friends, it is better to
place their letter, or a lock of their hair, or a
piece of their clothing, or any thing else that
belongs to them, in the patient's hands, as this
facilitates his tracing, or finding their where-
abouts.
Information may thus be learned about the dead
as well as the living, indeed it is a most useful
faculty the great pity is that it is not more exten-
;

sively known ; for the discovery of murder, theft,


etc., it would be highly valuable.

THOUGHT READING, AND MENTAL IMPRESSIONS.


With this you require the power of drawing
pictures in your brain, or the power of vividly
producing anything in your mind.
In the beginning of the lessons, instruction is
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. I 7

given how to develop this power. Once you are


able to picture past events clearly in your mind,
thought reading becomes easy work, but until you
can do this, it is best deferred, or it will end in a
muddle and without any satisfactory results.
You will therefore first produce on your patient
the Mesmeric Sleep, the deeper the better, then
picture or think vehemently in your mind of what
you desire he should know, and make what we
should call " communicatory passes ;
M
these passes
are what you may see in every day life; or when
one person is trying to make another understand
his meaning, he uses his hands as well as his
tongue, and this manual motion is done quite
unconsciously, but yet it is very patent, in short,
you throw with the hands as it were, your thoughts
towards him, and with intense concentration of
the mind you gaze at him, when your thoughts
will become known to him.
At first some blundering may occur, practice
and patience is the only remedy for this, coupled
with the " communicatory " passes and a clear
and determined mind.
Should you wish him to read the thoughts or
impressions of anyone present, you must join their
hands for a few minutes, remaining yourself
entirely passive, as the patient is more susceptible
to your impression than that of any other person,
1 8 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

therefore passivity on your part is very necessary.


Let any person write a name or any number, or
word, or sentence, and fold it up and put it in a
nut or box, or seal it up and hand it to him, he
will tell what it is exactly, and without seeing or
opening the box.
This, and a thousand other experiments or tests
may be given, and in your method of practicing,
other experiments will present themselves, and
other phenomena no less astonishing, but what-
ever occurs in any experiment, do not loose your
self possession, but be calm and de-magnetize by
making the reverse passes as before taught.

GENERAL ADVICE.
When you have once Mesmerized a person never
allow any one else to Mesmerize until the patient has
fully recovered from the effects of your Magnetism,
otherwise you will be liable to injure the patient
and produce convulsions, and a series of evil con-
sequences, leaving the patient in a Yery weak and
prostrate state.
Allow no unhealthy or evilly disposed person
to Mesmerize you, nor yet any one else at any
if
it,

time you can avoid for, when Mesmerized


you are completely under their control. You
should therefore only allow those who are strictly
honorable to Mesmerize you, otherwise will be
it
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 1 9

particularly bad and dangerous, depraving the


morals and having other bad and lasting effects.
Females should be very particular in this respect,
and allow no stranger to influence them.
The student will observe that all the wonderful
phenomena are produced by the simple passes or
the intent gazing, as taught in the beginning of
these lessons, and that thought-reading, clairvoy-
ance, and a host of other things, are simply the
result of continued and persistent experiments,
and resulting in deep sleep, for the sleep is usually
deeper at every subsequent sitting. One hour a
day and in the morning is the best time for
experimenting.
As soon as the operator feels fatigued he should
give over and operate again the succeeding day,
and at the same hour, and continue it until sleep
is produced, bearing in mind that if it be not
produced at the first sitting that the labor is not
lost, so no disappointment should be felt, but the
operation should be continued daily until sleep is
produced.
The chief things are : A passive and willing
patient, and a strong, healthy and vigorous oper-
ator. —
THE MESMERIZING OF ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, AND
OTHER THINGS
There is but little difference between the Mes-
20 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

merizing of animals, and that of human beings,


every one of either, are more or less susceptible
to the influence.
For animals, make passes from the head down
the back to the tail, continue this for a short time
when the eyes will become heavy, then pass your
hand over them when they will become fixed, and
the animal will fall asleep, You may then experi-
ment with it as you wish, although unless you are
watchful, they are liable to wake at any little noise
or interruption.
Should an animal be ill or full of restlessness,
Mesmerize it into a deep sleep once every day,
and let it awake of its own accord and naturally.
Fqr such animals as are ferocious, and cannot
be controlled or approached, at first the Magnetiz-
ing is a tedious performance, cannot be
and
hastily performed, except after much labor,
You must starfi in front of the animal, fixing
your eyes steadily on his, and make passes towards
him as with a human being until he is subdued,
and either falls asleep or drops down, when he
may be approached and put into a deep sleep by
continued passes.
With birds make passes over and around the
cage, and continue them until the eyes close and
the bird falls asleep, when you may handle and
act with it as you please.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY.

To induce an animal to follow you, you must


make passes over his head and down his back for
about ten or fifteen minutes, then go in front of
him and make what are called " drawing passes/
'

that is, as if you were pulling a rope from him to


yourself, breathe into his nostrils a few times, and
the animal will follow you anywhere you go.
After Mesmerizing a human being you may
draw him towards you by these drawing passes,
and he will follow you much the same as an
animal.
To repel or keep back a human creature, or an
animal, make passes as though you were pushing
it from you, and let your mind be strongly
impressed with what you desire to accomplish.
How often in everyday life is "goraway,"
" get away," and other similar ejaculations
accompanied by a motion of the hand, or a "re-
pelling pass," although it m* done quite uncon-
sciously.
In experimenting with healthy animals it is
always best to de-magnetise them by making a
few reverse passes, the same as for a human being,
and see that they are fully awake.

THE MESMERIZING OF VEGETABLES, FURNITURE,


WATER, AND OTHER THINGS.
With flowers, vegetables, or plants, you will
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

proceed to make passes, down and around the


plant, from the top to the roots, say for the space
of fifteen minutes, and breathe on the ground
about the roots.
No visible effect can be expected at the time,
but plants and vegetables will grow quicker and
more luxuriously after being mesmerized than
they did before.
With furniture and other inanimate things pro-
ceed as follows :

Say for instance you wish to Mesmerize a chair,


door-post, threshold, table, or anything else, to
produce a certain effect upon the first person who
enters or comes in contact with them. Make
passes down the back of the chair to the feet,
then down the front, over the seat, down the legs
to the floor, and with other articles of furniture
make passes from the top to the bottom, and on
both sides of it.
The impression you wish to convey must be
very powerfully kept in your mind all during the
operation, and the will must be firm and deter-
mined.
Professor Mesmer, who first brought Mesmerism
into practical use ; when he Mesmerized trees, he
used to fold his arms around it for several minutes,
then make passes towards the summit, and thence
down the trunk, in the direction of the principal
MESMERISM AND CLAIR VOYANCY. 23

limbs, then finished by mesmerizing the ground


around it.
For water, make passes over the surface, and
pass the hands through it, and breathe upon it
several times successively.
The student will remember that the longer he
continues the operation, the more powerful the
utensil or other article will be mesmerized.
Magnetized water is good for plants and animals
tending to keep them in health and invigorating
their growth.
A sensitive person or one brought under the
influence of Mesmerism will be able to tell at once
what articles are mesmerized and what are not.
Suppose you Mesmerize a chair, and ask your
patient to sit therein, it is highly probable he will
fall asleep on seating himself. Then again show
him a mesmerized stone, plant, water, or anything
else, and it will produce the same effect.
Again, Mesmerize a certain place in the floor
over which he must pass, and if you Will in your
mind, that he shall not pass that spot, as soon as
it,

he enters he fixed steadfastly to the ground


is

and cannot move, this refers to those whom you


have mesmerized at least once others in passing
;

the spot would only perceive a certain impression,


which they might or might not heed or notice.
And thus far with respect to the general prac-
24 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

tises of Mesmerism ; the phenomena and the


effects may be varied in scores of different ways,
according to the will of the operator.
The whole train of Mesmeric phenomena, hangs
on the simple yet powerful passes, as mentioned
in the fore part of these pages.
When a patient is once controlled or put to
sleep by you, it is only the practise of a few min-
utes to control him at any future time.
We will now turn our attention to the healing
properties of human magnetism, and which is very
important, and can effect very wonderful results
by its continuance.
HEALING MAGNETISM,
In India and the East, healing by Mesmerism has
been practiced from time immemorial, and is well
known amongst the American Indians, and the
Aborigines of other countries ; and even in the
common affairs of every- day life, how much do
we see of it.
It is as natural to hold your hand against the
part that aches, as it is to drink when you are dry,
and this very natural and common application of
the hand, frequently eases the pain, and would do
so more, were it to be continued longer and by
another person, the mind at the same time being
strong and resolute in the determination to eject
the pain.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 25

A of the hand over the head will


few strokes
almost always cure pain of the head.

HOW TO REMOVE PAIN FROM THE HEAD, OR ANY


OF THE LIMBS.
Make the passes downwards from the top of the
limb or crown of the head to its extremity, and
after every pass, shake the hands, as though you
were shaking something from them, and continue
this for some time when the pain will gradually
cease ; if you do not shake your hands after each
pass, it is most likely you will receive the pain
yourself.

FOR RHEUMATISM, ACUTE AND CHRONIC.


Mesmerize the parts well by making the passes,
shaking the hands after each pass as before
taught; also apply new flannel, which has been
well mesmerized to the parts, or mesmerized paper
is very good. Apply a silk handkerchief over
the part most affected, and breathe upon the part
through it several times,
Your mind should be generously disposed and
be possessed with a sincere desire to benefit the
patient, and drive away the pain.
If the person has been once or more put into
the Mesmeric Sleep, this operation will give
instant relief, if not, then the relief will be
26 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

gradual in accordance with the mesmeric power


the operator possesses, and the degree of real
earnestness in his mind.
Therefore it is most essential to produce the
sleep, as ever after that it is but momentary work
to relieve any pain, to produce refreshing sleep,
or to render any surgical operation painless and
safe in every way.

DEAFNESS AND BLINDNESS-

For deafness make passes over the ear and


breathe upon it, and pour Mesmerized salad oil
if
it,

into then apply wool, and the wool be mes-


merized so much the better, repeat the operation
as often as convenient.
If only one ear be affected, will yet be better
it

to Mesmerize both sides of the head.


For blindness make passes over the eyes, and
down the nose, breathe upon the eyes through
flannel, and bathe them with water that has been
mesmerized, and cover them with a mesmerized
cloth.
Where deafness or blindness not the result of
is

an accident or malformation the cure easy, but


is

when the organ injured or misformed


is

is
it

doubtful, but ought to be tried.


MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 27

FOR INSANITY AND MENTAL AFFECTIONS, NOT RE-


SULTING FROM ACCIDENT OR MALFORMATION.
Make passes down the spine of the back and
get the patient to sleep as soon as possible, then
Mesmerize him very thoroughly into a deep sleep,
repeat this once or twice daily ; let him sleep at
least two hours, then de-mesmerize and awake
him.
Let the food that he takes be Mesmerized ; if
the heart be weak, excite its action by a few gen-
tle passes over the region of the heart, and when
asleep, breathe upon his forehead through flannel.
The mind of the operator should be most
benevolently disposed, and possessed with an
ardent desire to do him good.
This is essential in all curative operations.
It is the principal difference between curative
and phenomenal Mesmerism ; in the former your
mind should be anxious to do good, but in the
latter it should have the desired phenomena in
it,

view and strongly impressed upon but have


I

spokenof the necessity of this many times already.


The method of treating insanity applicable
is

to fits, the falling sickness, giddiness, and tempo-


rary loss of reason or memory.

FOR BURNS, SCALDS, WOUNDS, ETC.


First, Mesmerize well the injured parts by con-
28 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

tinued passes, then breathe upon the parts, and if


it be a scald, or wound, or burn, apply Mes-
merized salad oil to

it,
afterwards apply
bandage

a
that has been mesmerized by the breath, until

it
quite moist, and treat daily in this manner.
is

HOW TO MESMERIZE PAPER, WATER, FLANNEL, AND


OTHER THINGS FOR CURATIVE PURPOSES.
All things can be Mesmerized very speedily and
effectually too, and Mesmerized paper, clothes,
flannels, etc., are useful to send long distances,
for as easy to treat person at distance as
is
it

a
at home provided you have once if not more put
them into the Mesmeric Sleep. Cases of this
description are constantly occurring to almost
every practitioner.
Having selected the article you wish to Mes-
merize, you must proceed to make passes length-
ways of
it,

say for ten or fifteen minutes, then


breathe upon for five minutes more, and will
it
it

then be ready for your use.

FOR WATER, BATHS, AND LIQUIDS.


Make long and slow passes over them and in
the case of water or baths make the passes by
passing or drawing the hands through them, and
finish the operation by breathing upon them sev-
eral times keep your mind in the benevolent
;

condition as before taught,


MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 29

Pains in the head, muscular contractions, tooth-


ache, ear-ache, cramps and a host of other aches
and pains can be cured effectually by Mesmerism.
In relieving pain it is not always necessary to
send a person to sleep, unless the pain be severe
and the frame much exhausted.

FOR SMALLPOX, MEASLES, AND FEVERS, AND OTHER


TEMPORARY ATTACKS OF SICKNESS OR INDISPO-
SITION.

Mesmerize thoroughly the whole body by mak-


ing long passes from the head down to the feet,
and shaking the contamination off at each pass as
before taught.
If the fever induces restlessness as it usually
does, then put the patient to sleep and keep him
in that state until it subsides, bearing in mind that
he is better able to eat and drink when under
control, then he is when awake, it is a good thing
also to Mesmerize the food and drink that he
takes.
FOR INFLAMMATION, WOUNDS, ETC.
Make passes over and around the affected parts,
and finish by gently breathing upon them.
For wounds, these can be speedily healed by
saliva, first, rinse and cleanse your mouth well
with tepid water, then apply the saliva, to the
wounds
30 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

This saliva possesses a most powerful healing


action.
Cats and other animals when wounded invari-
ably lick their wounds until they are healed.
A Mesmerizer should be an acute observer of
nature and creation, from which invaluable lessons
may be learned and much information gained.
One word of caution in treating the sick, do
not make an upward pass, and in all your opera-
tions let the passes be made from top to bottom,
as the magnetic fluid has a great tendency to
ascend.
ADVICE.
First cultivate your passions, and have them all
well under control, so that anger and passion may
be unknown to you, then cultivate the mind as
before taught, both as to concentration and the
drawing of mind pictures, which are very essen-
tial for thought-reading ; also cultivate the gaze,
that the eyes may be firm, fixed and very pene-
trating.
Attend also to your habits of eating and drink-
ing, avoid all exeesses, live temperately, only eat-
ing such food as will easily digest ; avoid heavy
drinking.
These are the primary conditions.
You should practise making the passes so that
when you are Mesmerizing you can continue for
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 3 I

some time without any feeling of fatigue. Make


them from the head, straight down to the pit of
the stomach, or even to the feet ; in bringing the
hands up again, extend them on each side so that
they form a kind of semi-circle.

In experimenting, never get flurried or excited,


if you cannot control at the first sitting, try again.
You must remember that every thing takes time
and patience, and that every thing in connection
with Mesmerism is produced by the simple passes
or the gazing, and the concentration of the mind.
These as before said, suffice to produce every
known phenomena in connection with animal
magnetism or mesmerism, whether it be healing,
phenomenal, or otherwise.

NOTES.
It may be observed that distance forms no
obstacle to the action of the Mesmeric influence
of the operator, although it may possibly weaken
or retard it to some extent.
Not only may the subject be put to sleep by
the silent will of the operator, but he may be
made also to exhibit all the phenomena already
mentioned as possible, in fact he can be controlled
as well by the silent will, as by the audible sounds
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

of the operator, and will go and come, and per-


form any act the Mesmerist may desire.
Another remarkable fact is the kind of attrac-
tion, the subject or patient feels towards the oper-
ator, and which the latter can very powerfully
exert in almost every case.
The patient will feel a great desire to approach
him, and, if prevented will use great force to
overcome the difficulty or hindrance, and the only
explanation he can give of his behavior is, that
he will say that he felt irresistably drawn towards
him.
This peculiar attraction may also be exhibited
at a distance, and scarcely any obstacle will stop
the patient ; this attraction sometimes happens
even in the conscious state.
In some cases the patient will have a liking for
the Mesmerist, I mean in the ordinary waking
state of the patient.
If the Mesmerist orders the patient to do a cer-
tain thing, at a certain time after waking, he will
do so, or however ridiculous or nonsensical the
it,

act may be, the patient feels bound to do and


thwarted he will use great force and determina-
if

and if questioned will say


it,

tion to accomplish
it,

he must do or that he feels compelled to do it,


and he will carry out his orders faithfully.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 33

The ordinary loadstones or magnets do act on


the human body; when passes are made with
them the same feelings or sensations are experi-
enced as when the operator uses his hands.
It is possible that the use of the magnet may be
combined with that of the operator, but by using
the magnet without the hand it is ascertained that
it does exert an influence identical with that of
the human body, or the hand.
This influence may even go so far as to pro-
duce, even at a great distance, a state of uncon-
sciousness, as well as the Mesmeric Sleep.
This influence is conducted or passes through
all matter, and nothing can arrest its action.

Crystals are also powerfully mesmeric, and by


their action on the brain, produces a kind of
clairvoyance, when visions or objects are seen in
the crystal ; and it is very probable that crystal
visions are the res\ilt of its mesmeric action on
the brain.
All nature is linked together by Mesmerism or
Magnetism, for they are one and the same thing
although under different names.

The Arabian Magicians when they exercise


their Magnetic power, procure a young lad under
ten, and pour a drop of ink in his hand, and
34 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

burn some suffumigations, using incantations, then


Mesmerize the lad when he sees all kinds of
visions of distant persons and objects.
Music also, always forms part of the Magicians
ceremonies, and when he wishes to cause those
who consult him to see visions, that is, to become
clairvoyant he always uses soft music, and some
kind of suffumigations unknown to Europeans.

When in the Mesmeric Sleep, music has a won-


derful effect upon the patient, thus a waltz or piece
of dance music will cause him to dance with
singular grace and elegance, it matters not whether
he understands dancing or not, but his actions
are very marked.
A slow and solemn strain will readily cause
them to kneel and pray or join the devotional
music.
A warlike air will cause them to strut about and
put themselves into a very fierce and pugnacious
attitude.
Not only are their attitudes and gestures true to
nature, but this truthfulness extends to all that is
said by the sleeper, and when he speaks it is in
the most conscious strain or conscientious manner.

It is to be observed that those who are slowly


and gradually brought up to a high degree of
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 35

susceptibility, make the best subjects ; at all events


the operator should never be discouraged by want
of complete success in his first trials.
Casts are on record in which the sleep has not
been produced until after hundreds of experi-
ments, and yet become at last very deep and
resulted in splendid phenomena.
There is no doubt that we all possess the power
to Mesmerize each other, though in different
degrees, and every one may bet mesmerized by
patience and perseverance on the part of the
operator.
It also appears that a person of a very marked
temperament most leadily effect those of an oppo-
site temperament; thus a person of a nervous
bilious temperament, will succeed best with sub-
jects who are sanguine lymphatic.

Sympathy often produces a strong liking or


attraction between two parties who see each other
for the first time.
It arises from a pleasing agreement or corres-
pondence of the Mesmeric condition of the par-
ties, and this is often very durable and lasting.
It is well known that many persons quarrel after
being long together, yet are quite wretched if
separated, and infallibly come together again.
36 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

There are also antipathies equally strong, every


one has seen or felt the repulsion exercised on
himself and others by certain individuals, and
this hatred or antipathy often lasts for life,
But antipathy is more strongly marked by per-
sons in the Mesmeric Sleep, some of whom cannot
bear the approach of other persons, others cannot
endure the presence of a cat or dog, or a mouse,
or even a fly or spider, and if carefully concealed
from them they will yet be aware of its presence,
and if the obnoxious creature be not removed,
the patient may faint or go into convulsions.
Some cannot endure a rose, an apple, pear,
currant or other fruit or vegetable. Some object
to articles of food ; others object to drink, and
sll these antipathies are so strong, that the mere
presence of the object is sufficient to produce very
bad effects on the patient,

It often happens that a clairvoyant who can see


and describe very well, all that is in the same
room, or in the next, or even in the same house
cannot travel a distance.
The travelling stage is a very high degree of
lucidity, and can rarely be produced at the first
sitting, but is generally developed by slow degrees,
yet in some cases the patient will become highly
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 37

clairvoyant at the first operation, but these cases


are rare.
Some clairvoyants possess the power of sympa-
thising with an absent or distant person, so as to
read their thoughts, to know their past actions,
and even to perceive their intentions ; and this
can be done best by placing a piece of the dress,
or even a letter in the hand of the patient, all
other information being withheld.
This faculty would be uncommonly useful in
tracing murderers, thieves, and of finding out the
intentions of friends and foes alike.

There is no doubt but that Magnetism exists


in bodies both animate and inanimate, a certain
force or influence which is felt more or less by
certain persons who are affected by it.
This force or influence is Magnetism, and which
gives rise to all the phenomena we have described,
and much other also of an equally interesting
nature, and is also the cause of sympathy and
antipathy between individuals.
Primarily, Magnetism is produced by the planets,
and by observing their condition at the birth of
an individual, one is able to tell the special quali-
tiesof this Magnetism, but this relates to Astrology.
The practice of Magnetism is but the exercise
of forces, that were implanted in us at the instant
of our birth.
38 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

The following interesting fact will show the


student to what good purposes Magnetism may be
put.
A farmer aged 23 was afflicted with an abscess
from congestion upon the inner and upper part of
the thigh. The surgeons that attended him
declared that a surgical operation would be prac-
ticable, but the operation required great prudence,
and much resignation, because the Crural Artery
crossed the humor, which had developed in a
frightful manner.
Count de B., whose Magnetic skill is very
remarkable, purpozed plunging the patient into
the Magnetic state, thereby to produce somnam-
bulism, and establish insensibility upon the part
of the body where the operation was to be per-
formed ; in that condition he said, they might
spare the farmer the pain and suffering inevitable
in his present state.
The proposition was accepted. In about two
minutes the patient was placed in the Magnetic
State; somnambulism immediately followed, but
without remarkable lucidity.
The farmer said in answer to a question put
unto him by his Magnetizer, that he looked in
he could not see
it,

vain for his illness ; nor the


cause of it.
At that moment the Doctor performed, with
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCV. 39

the greatest skill, the operation which had been


considered necessary.
He applied the bistoury several times and pro-
duced the desi-ed effect. The dressing was then
made in the usual manner.
During the whole of the operation the patient
remained immovable as a statue ; his Magnetic
Sleep was undisturbed.
Upon the desire or proposition of all the medi-
cal men, Count de B. destroyed the Magnetic
State in which the patient had been plunged and
awoke him.
Dr, R. then approached him, and asked whether
he was willing to submit to the operation. " If
it must be so " said the patient, "I
will submit."
Dr. R, then announced that it was quite useless
it,

to recommend because was done.


it

The amaze and astonishment of the patient was


great, when they made him see the dressing.
He had felt nothing, and only remembered the
action of Count de B. when the latter applied the
palm of his hand to his, the patient's, forehead
and made him sleep.
The above will show the reader what an excel-
lent thing would be if the Medical faculty would
it

recognize and practice Magnetism, especially in


the case of operating
all danger of inflammation
;

and subsequent death would then be avoided.


40 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

Mesmer the reviver of Magnetism used to per-


form in the following manner.
In the centre of a large room was placed a
circular vessel termed the "Baquet," a foot in
height, furnished with a lid in two parts, moving
on hinges in a central line. This lid was perfor-
ated with holes, through which were inserted a
number of curved and moveable iron rods. Its
interior was filled with bottles of water, previously
magnetized, these were placed over one another
in such a manner that the first row had their necks
converging towards the centre of the vessel, and
their bases turned towards the circumference, and
the next was arranged in an opposite position, the
baquet itself also contained a quantity of water
filling up the interstices between the bottles, and
of iron filings, pounded glass,
to this a quantity
sulphur, manganese, and a variety of other sub-
stances were occasionally added.

The patients then stood round this apparatus,


and applied the iron rods to the affected part of
the body, or encircled themselves with a hoop
suspended for that purpose.
Sometimes they laid hold of each other by the
thumb and index finger and formed what was
called a ring. The operator then held an iron
rod which he moved to and fro before them, for
MESMERISM AND CLA1RVOYANCY. 41

the purpose of directing at will the course of the


Magnetic fluid.
The whole apparatus of bottles, water, metallic
rods, was supposed to facilitate the circulation of
the fluid, and to increase the power of the process.
Trees, water, food, and other objects were Mag-
netized, for all bodies in nature are susceptible to
Magnetization.

Bear in mind that all the power lies in yourself,


that you have simply to cultivate and exercise this*
power in order to produce very wonderful results.
There is nothing impossible in these lessons or
in the art of Mesmerism ; you have simply to
practice and persevere, and the result is sure.

The following from Deleuze's Work on Mesmer-


ism, will be found very instructive and interesting.
When any one has a local pain, it is natural,
-_a£fcer--e-stablishing a communication, to carry the
magnetic action to the suffering part. It is not
by passing the hands over the arms that we under-
take to cure a sciatic ; it is not by putting the
hand upon the stomach that we can dissipate a
pain in the knee.
Here are some principles to guide us.
The Magnetic Fuid, when motion is given to
it,

draws along with the blood, the humors, and


it
42 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

the cause of the complaint. For example, if one


has the headach, owing to the tendency of the
blood to the head, if the forehead be hot and the
feet very cold, by making a few passes from the
head to the feet, and others along the legs, the
head is relieved, and the feet become warm. If
one has a pain in the shoulder, and the magnet-
izer makes passes from the shoulder to the end of
the fingers, the pain will descend with the hand \
it stops sometimes at the elbow, or at the wrist,
and goes off by the hands, in which a slight per-
spiration is perceived ; before it is entirely dissi-
pated, a pain is sometimes felt in the lower part
of the bowels. Magnetism seems to chase away
and bear off with it what disturbs the equilibrium,
and its action ceases when the equilibrium is
restored. It is useless to search out the causes of
these facts ; it is sufficient that experience has
established them, for us to conduct ourselves
accordingly, when we have no reason to do other-
wise.
The following rules, with some exceptions, may
then be established :

Accumulate and concentrate the magnetic fluid


upon the suffering part j then draw off the pain
towards the extremities.
For example, do you desire to cure a pain in
the shoulder ? hold your hand upon the shoulder
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 43

for several minutes, then descend, and after hav-


ing quitted the ends of the fingers, recommence
patiently the same process.
Would you cure a pain in the stomach ? place

your hands several minutes upon the stomach, and


descend to the knees. You will accumulate the
fluid by holding your hands still; by bringing
them down, you will draw away both the fluid and
the pain at the same time.

If your patient be troubled with an obstruction,


place your hand upon the seat of it, leave there

it
for some time, either immovable, or making

a
circular motion, and draw along towards the
it

extremities. If the obstruction does not occupy


a great space, present your fingers near without
uniting them, because principally by the
is
it

points that the fluid escapes. Turn them aside


when you bring them away, and then move them
towards the extremities.
You may be assured that the motions you make
externally, will operate sympathetically in the
interior of the patient's body, wherever you have
sent the fluid into
if

If any one has received blow behind the


a

head, producing a contusion, take the head be-


tween your two hands, conveying the action of
44 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

your will to the seat of the injury. Then bring


your hand down along the back, if the contusion
is behind the head ; or down the forepart of the
body to the knees, if it is in the front of it; or
along the arm, if it is on the side. You will thus
prevent the blood from tending to the head ; you
will avoid the danger of inflammation, and prob-
ably render bleeding unnecessary.
If you wish to cure a burn, chilblains, or a
felon, follow the same process. The examples I
have just cited may be applied to most cases. I
think that, in general, contact is useful to con-
centrate the action, and that passes at a short
distance are preferable for establishing and main-
taining the Magnetic currents. Magnetic frictions
are employed with advantage in pains of the
limbs.
For headache, if the pain is very great, and
ifthere be heat, after having placed your hands
upon the head for some time, withdraw them, as
if you believed the fluid you have introduced to
be united to that of the patient, that the mingled
fluid stuck to your hands, and that in separating
your hands, and shaking your fingers, you could
draw it off again it is in effect what you will see
:

verified. If the headache proceeds from the


stomach, this process alone will not succeed ; it
will be necessary to act upon the stomach. If the
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 45

blood tends to the head, it will be requisite, as I


have said, to draw it down, and repeat the passes
over the le^s, and over the feet.

Place a piece of linen several times folded, or


a fragment of woollen or cotton cloth, upon the

it,
suffering part ; apply the mouth above and
breathe through excites a lively sensation of
it

it
;

heat and the breath, which charged with the

is
;

Magnetic fluid, introduces into the system.


it

also observed that the heat not merely


It

is
is

at the surface, as that of hot iron would be, but


penetrates into the interior. After having
it

employed this process, make the usual passes to


draw off and expel the pain.

Blowing cold air from the mouth at distance


a

produces a refreshing effect. helps to dissipate


It

the heat, which withdrawn by presenting the


is

fingers, taking care to separate them as you draw


them off, in the usual manner.
The head may also be cooled by putting the
palm of the hands upon
it,

and holding the


fingers elevated and separate the fluid passes off
;

at the ends of the fingers.

often impossible to draw pain far from


It

4
is

the part where fixed and you will succeed


is
it

)
46 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

solely by driving it off progressively, by little and


little. A pain upon the top of the head will
decrease at first in the centre, by waving the hands
downward and outward, on the right and left.
At every pass a portion will be dislodged and
carried off. It will take more or less time to
dissipate it entirely.

The Magnetized person perceives a heat esca-


ping from the ends of your fingers, when you pass
them at a little distance before the face, although
your hands appear cold to him, if you touch him.
He feels this heat through his clothes, in some
parts, er in all parts of his body before which
your hands pass. He often compares it to water
moderately warm, flowing over him, and this sen-
sation precedes your hand. His legs become
numb, especially if you do not carry your hands
as low as his feet ; and this numbness ceases when,
towards the close, you make passes along the legs
to the toes, or below them. Sometimes, instead
of communicating heat, you communicate cold ;

sometimes also you produce heat upon one part of


the body, and cold upon another. There is often
induced a general warmth, and a perspiration
more or less considerable. Pain is felt in the
parts where the disease is seated. These pains
change place, and descend.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 47

Magnetism causes the eyes to be closed. They


are shut in such a manner that the patient cannot
open them ; he feels a calm, a sensation of tran-
quil enjoyment ; he grows drowsy, he sleeps ; he
wakes when spoken to, or else he wakes of him-
self at the end of a certain time, and finds him-
self refreshed.
Sometimes he enters into Somnambulism, in
which state he hears the Magnetizer and answers
him without awaking.

If the patient feels the sensation of heat or


coolness from your fingers, content yourself with
Magnetizing with long passes. If the action of
Magnetism excites pain in any organ, concentrate
the action upon that organ, in order to draw it
away afterwards.
If there be manifested any heat or heaviness at
the head, attract it to the knees.
If Magnetism produces a sense of suffocation,
or an irritation of the lungs, make passes begin-
ning below the breasts, and continuing to the
knees.
If colics take place, and if they indicate, as
they often do with women, that the circulation
ought to be accelerated, avoid letting the hands
stop at the breast, or even at the stomach; carry the
action to the sides and below them ; make passes
48 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

along the thighs, and let the hands remain some


time upon the knees.
If the patient have pains at the back, make
passes along the vertebral column.
If you see any nervous movements, calm them
by your will, first taking the thumbs or the wrist,
and afterwards making passes at the distance of
several inches or even of several feet, with the
open hand.
If Magnetism seems to act too powerfully,
moderate the action, and render it more soothing,
by making the passes at a distance.
If the patient sleep, let him sleep tranquilly
while you continue to Magnetize him.
When you wish to rest yourself, take the thumbs
of the patient, or place your hands upon his knees.
If the sitting has been long, and you are obliged
to quit, rouse the patient gently, by telling him to
wake, and by making passes sideways across the
eyes.
If the eyes are closed fast, not attended with
sleep, open them by passes sideways, but not till
the termination of the sitting.
If after
being roused, the patient feels anew the
desire of sleeping, you will leave him to sleep
alone, taking precaution that no one shall trouble
him.
Here I ought to observe, that the Magnetic
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 49

Sleep is of itself essentially restorative. During


this sleep, nature unassisted works a cure ; and it
is often sufficient to re-established the equilibrium,
and cure nervous complaints.

Somnambulism is know ) it presents itself often


in the Magnectic practice ; let us see what are
the means of always deriving from it the greatest
advantage, and avoiding all misuse of it.
The first advice I shall give, is, that you never
seek to produce Somnambulism, but to let it come
naturally, in order to profit by it when it takes
place.

it,
Many in order to produce
Magnetizers,
charge the head very much and by this means
;

they often succeed in obtaining a forced slumber,


and a reflux of blood towards the brain,, and par-
tial crisis which are of no utility this method
is
;

not without danger. much better simply to


It
is

employ Magnetism by the long pass, and not to


charge the head more than the other parts. If
nature disposed to this crisis, the fluid will, of
is

itself, be carried to the brain, and the tendency


to somnambulism will be manifested by the
patient's being in state of tranquility, by his
a

closing his eyes, and by his sleeping. You may


then, without any inconvenience, pass the extrem-
ities of your fingers five or six times at short
a
50 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

distance before his eyes, in order to give more


intensity to his sleep.
You may then ask him how he is ; or whether
he sleeps well. Then one of these three things
will take place ; he will wake, he will not answer,
or he will answer.
If he awakes, Somnambulism as not taken
place ; and you must not think any more respect-
in the course of that sitting. If he con-
it,

ing
tinues to sleep, without answering, there reason

is
to suppose heentering into the somnambulic
is

state. If he answer without waking, and, after


his waking, has no recollection of your speaking
to him, the somnambulism real.
is

In case the patient continues to sleep without


hearing you, you will continue to Magnetize him
as have pointed out; and you will wait, before
I

you put to him a second question, until the moment


before that at which you think the sitting should
be terminated.
If he makes no more answers to this question
than to the first, you will leave him to sleep tran-
quilly, or if you judge necessary to rouse him,
it

you may merely make transversal passes at a


distance, bidding him to awake, in gentle voice,
a

and not commanding him in tone of authority.


a

If the patient makes sign that he understands


a
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 51

you, yet without answering, you will beware of


urging him to speak. It is a happy thing for him
to be by himself, to collect himself, and to accus-
tom himself to his new condition, and to arrange
his ideas.
You will merely ask him to let you know by a
motion of the head, whether he desires to be
awakened, or to sleep longer ; and you will con-
form yourself as much as possible to his wish.
You will continue in the same manner during
the succeeding sittings. Yet if this state of Mute
Somnambulism is prolonged, you will enquire of
him whether he hopes very soon to acquire the
faculty of speaking ; whether you Magnetized him
well ; if he finds himself better for it ; and you
may make all enquiries of him which he can
answer by a sign, and without effort.
Have a perfect command of yourself, and
beware of employing your will to influence your
patient to speak, or to make his Somnambulism
more profound.
Have but one intention; entertain but one
wish, that of facilitating the cure ; and leave
nature to employ, of herself, the increase of power
which you give him.
It may happen that his Somnambulism will not
proceed further \ but this is of no consequence ; it is
not your object to render him a Somnambulist, but
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

to cure him. If Somnambulism was necessary, if


his constitution rendered him susceptible of

it,
this state would spontaneously develop itself.
Merely observe what peculiar precautions this
Demi-somnambulism requires such as, not suffer-

;
ing those to approach him who are not in com-
munication with him, not to oppose him, not to
awake him roughly, and to continue to occupy
yourself about him.
If your patient speaks, and to the question,
"Do you sleep?" answers, " Yes," he a Som-

is
nambulist but does not follow that he

is
it
;

endowed with clairvoyance.


When your Somnambulist shall have given an
affirmative answer to your first question, " Are you
asleep?" you may address others to him.
These questions should be simple, clear; well
adapted, and concise; they should be made slowly,
with an interval between them, leaving the Som-
nambulist all the time he wishes to reflect upon
them.
If you have been able to suppress your curi-
osity, which always more or less injurious, if
is

you do not suffer yourself to be astonished to see


one who asleep answer you with propriety, if
is

you have no other end in view but the doing of


good, if you do not think of collecting observa-
tions, you will put only those questions which are
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 53

necessary. The response made to the first one


will suggest others to you, always in relation to
the means of curing the patient.

The following may serve as an example of the


series of questions to be first put to your Somnam-
bulist :

Do you feel well?


Does my manner of proceeding agree with you ?
Will you point out any other mode ?
How long shall I let you sleep?
How shall I awake you ?
When shall I Magnetize you again ?
Have you any directions to give me?
Do you think I shall succeed in curing you?
These questions will assuredly be enough for the
first day, when Somnambulism has been induced.
At the next sitting it ought to be induced sooner;
but you will not try to bring it on immediately, by
charging the head. You will first employ Mag-
netism by the long pass, and when your Somnam.
bulist assures you that he is sleeping, you will let
him have a little time longer to collect himself.
Then, after having repeated some of the pre-
ceding questions, you may ask him whether he sees
where his disease is ; if he says " Yes," you may
request him to describe it ; if he says " No," you
him to look for
it,

may persuade observing to


keep his attention to the point.
54 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

You will take care not to form your questions


in such a manner as to suggest replies which he
can make without reflection, through indolence,
or the desire of pleasing you ; you must let him
be occupied wholly with himself, with his disease,
and with the means of cure.
When he has once explained to you what he
thinks of the nature of his disease, of its causes,
of its consequences, of the crisis he expects, you
should ask him to search out the remedial means
proper to be pursued in connection with Magnet-
ism. You should listen to him attentively ; you
should take notes of what he tells you, if you are
fearful of forgetting it. You should ask him
whether he is very sure of the effect which his
prescription will produce. And if in them there
is found anything which appears to you improper,
you should make known to him your objections.

You should especially take care to inform your-


self well of the crisis which are to bring on the
cure, that you may not be alarmed at such as he
has announced, and that you may know well the
mode of soothing them.
You must be exact in Magnetizing him at the
hour indicated by him, and by the proceses which
he judges most appropriate.
You must ask him what things you ought to let
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 55

him forget, what things it is proper to warn him


of, and what means it is proper to take to induce
him to follow out his own prescriptions.

When he is awake, you should let him be entire-


ly ignorant of his being a Somnambulist, and not
let him suspect that he has spoken, provided he
has not of himself expressly recommended that
you should inform him of it, either to inspire him
with confidence in regard to anything that dis-
turbs him, or to induce him to follow a course of
regimen, or to do something useful, which when
he is awake is counter to his inclination. But, in
this case, you will merely tell him what he believ-
ed absolutely necessary to know, and you will
entreat him not to speak about it to any person.
It is very rare that a patient has the curiosity
to be informed of what he has said in a state of
Somnambulism ; I believe, also, that it never hap-
pens, when the Magnetizer, during Somnambulism,
has forbidden him to meddle with it after waking.

I have indicated the kind of conversation you


ought to hold with your Somnambulist. I cannot
insist too much upon a point on which chiefly
depends the development and the direction of
his faculties.
I cannot give any advice in relation to the
56 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

details, because it would not be equally applicable


to all cases. But there is a general rule from
which you ought never to depart ; which is, never
on any account to permit any question of curiosity,
any attempt to prove the lucidity of your Somnam-
bulist ; to speak to him solely of his disease ; to
direct all his attention to the means he ought to
adopt for the restoration of his health, His cure
is your essential object, your principal aim; you
should not desert it for a moment-

I know that one may sometimes profit by the


confidence of a Somnambulist to combine with
him the means of correcting his faults, and of
rendering his conduct more regular, to break off
dangerous associations, and in fine to apply to his
ordinary state the elevated moral sensibility which
he exhibits in Somnambulism. In this, one will
not depart from the rule I have prescribed ; he
merely gives it a greater extension. For it is
then, in effect, a question about preventing or cur-
ing a moral disease, more destructive than a phys-
ical one, and which often aggravates the latter.
You are doing right, since you have really no
other object in view, no other idea, than the
intention of doing good to him whom you Mag-
netize ; and not engage him except in that which
is most essential to him.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 5 7

The faculties of Somnambulists are limited ;

their surprising penetration may be regarded as


the effect of a concentration upon one single class
of sensations, upon one order of ideas; the more
their attention is distracted by various subjects,
the less of it will they give to the essential object.
If your Somnambulist appears to meddle with
things which do not promote his return to health,
employ your will to withdraw him from them ; do
not hear him ; and especially do not appear as if
you were astonished at the proofs which he affords
of his lucidity. You will excite his vanity, and
that is very dangerous ; for when you have once
awakened in him this sentiment, to which Som-
nambulists are in general very much inclined, you
can no more depend upon anything.

There is in most Somnambulists a development


of sensibility of which we can have no concep-
tion.
They are susceptible of receiving influence from
everything that surrounds them, and principally
from living beings. They are not only affected
by physical emanations, or the effluvia of living
bodies ; but also, to a degree much more surpris-
ing, by the thoughts and sentiments of those who
surround them, or who are busy with them.
58 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

If you are alone with a Somnambulist, and any-


one is permitted to enter, the Somnambulist gen-
erally perceives it. Sometimes the person who
enters is indifferent to him ; at other times he feels
for him either a sympathy or an antipathy.
In either case it decreases his concentrativeness.
If he entertains a sympathy, his attention is
divided ; if an antipathy, he suffers.
If the stranger is incredulous, and suspects the
sincerity of the Somnambulist, or makes a jest of
what he sees, the Somnambulist is troubled, and
loses his lucidity.
If many witnesses surround the Somnambulist,
and are occupied about him, the fluid of each one
of them acts upon his organization ; and as these
various fluids are not in harmony, he experiences
discordant effects from them.
If you have around you only the persons who
desire the cure of the patient, and if you Magne-
tize them all to put them in communication, and
all are in good health, the Somnambulist may not
be in the least disquieted. But it will be difficult
to prevent many of the spectators from often
occupying themselves with other things besides
the patient.
For every time they occupy themselves with
something else, they will break the commun-
ication, and these interruptions produce shocks
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 59

(secousses), which disturb the tranquil reign of


Somnambulism.
There is sometimes among the spectators, some
one who inspires the Somnambulist with a particu-
lar affection, of the most exalted kind ; and that
would turn him aside from his attention to him-
self; the will of the Magnetizer being no longer
active, he does not exert the same control, and
the Somnambulism takes an irregular character.
The greater part of Somnambulists, even in the
hands of good Magnet izers, have lost a portion
of their faculties because many persons in succes-
sion have been permitted to see them.

When a person who has no experience obtains


for the first time some of the singular effects which
generally precede lucid Somnambulism, he thinks
it would be useful to get acquainted with an
experienced Magnetizer. If he finds one, he
entreats him to come and assist at the sittings, to
give him instructions. This conduct, which is
inspired by a very praiseworthy motive, is, never-
theless, in need of precaution, and I cannot point
out the precautions except by recalling attention
to two phenomena, the reality of which a great
number of Magnetic experiments demonstrate.
First, Somnambulists, or the persons who are in
a Magnetic state, feel the influence of those who
6o PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

approach them, especially of such as have an


active will.
Second. Persons who are in the habit of Mag-
netizing, naturally emit the fluid from them, and
act powerfully, even without a determinate inten-
tion, upon those who are in the Magnetic state.

From this it follows that the presence of a Mag-


netizer is never a matter of indifference, and that
in certain circumstances it might be more hurtful
than that of one who of curiosity.
comes out
If the Magnetizer disapproves of any of your
processes, if he counteracts your action in any
manner whatever, he will do an injury to your
Somnambulist. This inconvenience can always
if if
it,

be avoided, he provides against he

is
if,

attentive to himself, and on your part, you take


the necessary precautions.
When, then, you desire to consult with Mag-
a

netizer, and call him in to see your Somnambulist,


this Magnetizer must put himself in communica-
tion with you, must submit his will to yours, must
beware of acting alone, must occupy himself only
in concurring to the good you wish to do, must
not seek the reason of the processes you employ,
must not pretend to direct you in anything, so
that nothing shall affect your Somnambulist, except
When the sitting ended, th$
is

through you.
MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCY. 6 1

Magnet izer can make his observations and give


you advice ; and, after having reflected upon the
principles he has given you, you can adopt and
make use of them.

Magnetism very often assuages a fever, or at least


its paroxysms ; it puts a stop to delirium ; it imparts
strength at the same time, when it decreases the
agitation of the nerves. of the
But the violence
fever sometimes opposes the establishment of the
magnetic communication it appears to repel the
;

action, when this action has not been previously


established. A physician who
practiced
has
Magnetism with great success, told me, that in
very violent fevers he had obtained good effects
by a process which I ought to mention. His
process consists in dipping the hands into water
acidulated with vinegar, and then to make long
passes with the palms of the hands. He assured
me that, by this means, he soothed the paroxysm,
and often produced perspiration.
MENTAL TELEPATHY,
FAITH, HOPE, AND HEALTH
MENTAL TELEPATHY.

Mental Telepathy is the transmission of


thought from one person to another.
To the lay mind, as minds of ordinary
individuals are observed, telepathy is re-
garded as superhuman, superphysical and
impossible; the reason for such opinions is,
that individuals of this century are trained
to be specialists in some money-earning
capacity, and the greater the remuneration
the greater is the tendency to direct all
study and investigation along lines which
appeal directly to the commercial world. It
resolves itself into the question, what have
I to sell? Provisions, machinery, inventions,
skilled and unskilled labor, instruction in the
languages, mathematics and correlated sub-
jects, architecture, engineering, electricity,
theology, medicine and law, will, in the
main, be the answers. And it may be said,
it is wonderful to observe the phenomena
which play their part in some of the above
enumerated subjects, and the obtuseness of
the students and investigators when they
admit that such an effect invariably follows
such a cause; a theory is then formulated
by them, and they never discover the nature
of matter composing the cause. Telep-
64 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

athy involves physics and chemistry, and


in order to control these forces a will power
is necessary. This power is acquired by
concentration of thought and a highly pure
condition of the physical body. That in-
tangible element called ether forms the
medium of transmission.
The only argument refuting the practica-
bility of telepathy, if any argument be
raised, would be, that this transmission is
invisible and inaudible. Be it so. Can you
not momentarily change the brilliancy of
the eyes by a thought? Can you not cause
color to come to your cheek by a thought?
Can you not cause the arm and hand to
tremble at will? And any physical attempt
to steady the arm will avail nothing until
your will power is allowed to subside. These
are familiar demonstrations showing that a
thought pervades substance away from the
Creator. Were I to refer the readers of this
volume to the newspapers and magazines of
highest repute printed in our own English
language, and in which could be found cases
where thoughts were transmitted by a pro-
jector and translated by the receiver, there
are some, and by some I mean the majority
of the Anglo-Saxon race, who would not
believe; but none is so blind as he who will
not see.
That the mind enables an individual to
perform extraordinary feats is demonstrated
in the action of an individual who has gone
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 65

insane. He lifts articles of such heavy weight


as to terrorize the beholders; he wrenches
articles from fastenings which are built to
oppose the strength of grasp of any normal
man; he bends iron bars. All these seem-
ingly superhuman actions could not have
been accomplished by him when his mind
was in its normal condition, and, at the same
time, appreciating the ordinary limit of his
own strength. But then his mind disregards
his ordinary strength and directs him to
far surpass it; the mind takes no cognizance
of impossibility. If this be true with
regard to strength, it can be true in regard
to sight- and thought. When a deep con-
centration of mind is effected, the ether
surrounding the individual is affected in
this manner; the vibrations are intensified
in their outward motion from the body and
follow the line of least resistence ; this line
of least resistence is disturbed should any
other thought arise in the mind of the pro-
jector; if the concentration is perfect, the
'
quality of the current of ether reaches the in-
tended receiver and is sensed by him. The
question arises, in what manner can the
receiver translate the vibrations? That
same sense which makes him understand
that he is expected to be home at a certain
period of the day or night causes him to
think of the individual who is projecting
the thought to him, and to think of some
action or word characteristic of the pro-
66 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

jector; then some words or actions recur to


the receiver's mind, to the exclusion of
other thoughts; he thoroughly concentrates
his thoughts on the recurring words or wishes,
and it is found that the projector has con-
centrated his thoughts on the same words
or wishes; the harmony of thought called
mental telepathy is the result. The fore-
going exposition is a mere outline of the
analysis of thought transmission, for the
lay mind conceives but one side of the ques-
tion, namely, the power or science of being
able to transmit. The most important as
well as difficult part of mental telepathy,
is to educate the physical body to a state
of contentment and purity which will
promote the individual to a high state of
sensitiveness. It is a foregone conclusion,
that a sensitive person has greater power
of perception than a non-sensitive person;
he perceives occurrences and their import
while other individuals merely see the
same occurrences, and do not understand
their significance. The sensitive person
may not always correctly interpret what
he perceives, but it is a fact that he feels
a certain truth emanating from certain
actions, where a non-sensitive person ar-
rives at the same truth by guess-work and,
worse still, by a prejudicial line of thought;
the guess-work and the prejudicial line of
reasoning may have had no connection with
the affair involved, but being merely coin-
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 67

cident. As coincidences are rare, they


never constitute a rule, and a non-sensitive
individual seldom appreciates a sensitive
one, while a sensitive individual always de-
tects sensitive qualities in another. That
individual who allows himself to indulge in
all the gratifications to which he is attracted,
cannot have a healthy body and a sound
mental equipment. It will require an effort
on his part to discard the unnecessary evil
tendencies which beset him, and when ac-
complished he is prepared to practice that
concentration of thought required in the
transmission of his thoughts to another.
There is only one other concentration
under which telepathy can work, and that
condition is sorrow. The sorrow must be
of the intense degree, and generally involve
the welfare of other people . This statement
is best illustrated by the visions, premoni-
tions and presentiments experienced by in-
dividuals who have made no study of telep-
athy and its related sciences; therefore, it
is obvious that the psychic power which
they saw or felt was not a result of their
own immediate preparation. On one occa-
sion I met a man who desired to go to a
certain quarter and get some money which
was due him; there were certain circumstan-
ces in the case which made it dangerous
for the owner of the money to have it about
him on that particular night; on demand,
the custodian of the money proceeded to
68 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

hand it over. I looked at him and wished


he would not give it to the owner. The custo-
dian then told the owner that he transferred
it from his safe to the bank, whereupon
the owner walked out. He was waylaid that
same night. Afterward I met this custo-
dian, and in the course of remarks asked
him what prompted him to refuse the money
or a portion of it on the night in question.
He answered, "You did." I remarked that
I made not the slightest facial sign or expres-
sion of such an admonition. "That's all
right," he retorted, "but you told me all
the same."
The very fact that one individual is in
need of certain information or admonitions
at certain opportune times, is a moral law
underlying the science of telepathy and its
allied sciences. The individual, A, reasons,
"B should know a certain fact; I wished
that I could tell him." B reasons, "I w ish T

that I might know about some occurrences


more or less remote from me." If artificial
magnetism can convey language, why can-
not personal magnetism duplicate the same?
If one individual possesses the secret, why
cannot others? The logic in this pair of
queries admits of but one reply, and it is
merely a reply and not an answer, namely,
a few persons possess the power, but people
in general do not. That is true. A con-
servative individual will say, "I have but
seventy years of physical life, and it will
MESMERISM AND CMJRVOYANCY. 69

require most of that period to learn the science


of telepathy; I cannot waste the time."
He sees fit not to bother about it. I believe
that bother is a chief obstruction in the at-
tainment of all worthy accomplishments;
and I believe that nearly all others believe
there is not yet organized any billion dollar
trust for the monopoly of discovery of science.
Last evening I picked up a magazine de-
voted to the advancement of astronomy,
geology and kindred sciences. My eye rested
on an article in which the writer refuted
the theory of some geologists who claimed
that the earth's crust was at one time a vast
field of ice. It matters not materially
whether or not it was; but I am forced to
believe that our text books that are used
in high schools, academies and colleges,
shall, in the near future, undergo a revision,
however moderate that revision may be.
My point is this: Experts and scientists of
every degree are not as yet thoroughly
united in the acceptance of a theory of
demonstration.
I have thought, in the interest of my
readers, to insert in this work numerous in-
stances in which telepathy, visions, clair-
voyance and spiritualism made themselves
manifest; the instances are so numerous
and the authorities vouching for them so
reliable, that it seems dire negligence to ex-
clude them, as the matter could be readily
obtained; however, I reasoned that a work
70 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

of this nature will be more appreciated


because in it I have endeavored to give an
exposition of the laws regulating these phe-
nomena rather than a mere recitation of
facts of that phenomena. Galileo was
not believed, Columbus was ridiculed,
Napoleon was for a time underrated, but
after a time the geographies were changed,
histories were remodeled, war tactics amended
and our chemistries, physiologies, mathema-
tics and all volumes treating on the sciences
of earth and humanity will be adjusted to
meet the truths to come, and as it has been
with the past, so we shall be regarded in
the future, when the pages of history will
teem with our wonderful deeds and knowl-
edge, and perhaps some will say, "They
were great with the facilities at hand, but
their greatness is superseded by our great-
ness.'
'
It is a law constant as the lapse of
time.
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 71

FAITH.
The word jaith devoid of its religious,
y

amatory and commercial significance, means


an exchange of optimistic sentiments between
human beings, animals and the brute crea-
tion. This faith may have existed between
human beings without any apparent cause ;
as, for instance, facial expression having a
tendency to attract one person to another;
or habits of one person making a favorable
impression upon another person; or one
person appealing, persuading, urging and
afterward fulfilling his obligations so faith-
fully as to be regarded trustworthy, thereby
establishing a confidence with all directly
concerned. A person may have faith in
things that are to transpire in the future,
owing to his temperament in believing that
all things will eventually enhance his wel-
fare; such people may have inherited this
even frame of mind, may have acquired it
through highly moral lives, or may have
even been surrounded by such pleasant
environments that no occurrences of a
serious nature have been experienced by
them.
A person has faith in a horse, a dog, a cat,
an elephant, a lion, and other animals and
PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

brutes by association with them, thus know-


ing how they have acted under various
conditions, and observing the friendship
displayed by such animals and brutes. He
has observed the horse perform extraordinary
work because the driver kindly urged him;
he has noticed the dog perform useful
work without being urged; he has no-
ticed the cat refrain from making raids
upon the larder, probably due to the train-
ing received; even so, it must be ad-
mitted he has a certain faith in that cat;
he has noticed the elephant used in war,
and perform in the circus; he has observed
the obedient traits of a certain elephant;
therefore, is never afraid of that particular
one, and believes there is a bond of friend-
ship between him and that elephant. We
can go further in citing these examples, but
if the foregoing remarks be true, the truth
is obvious.
Many animals and dumb brutes have
faith. A horse can show in various ways
that he is conscious of the approaching noon
hour; he believes he is to be fed. If the
master is tardy with the feed, the horse
turns his head toward him in mute appeal;
he holds up his hoof when being shod; he
stands on the street without being haltered,
while his driver or master goes into various
buildings; he expects him to return; he is
kind to colts; he lays with his kind com-
panion, the dog; he walks to you when he
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 73

sees you eating an apple; he pushes his


nose toward you; it may be a case of mis-
placed confidence on his part, but he has
faith in you to the extent that you will give
him a bite.
Animals have faith in each other. Two
horses in a stable will display an intelligence
toward each other because of their com-
panionship; they will not show the same
feeling toward a strange horse. Two or
more dogs will often be found in each other's
company, because they belong to the same
kennel; a dog and a cat of the same house-
hold will lie side by side; this same dog
will cause another puss to jump over the
moon; the dog may feel as kindly to the
new tabby, but tabby has no immediate
faith in that dog. You have seen a lion, a
dog and a lamb caged together; the lion is
not afraid of the dog, and, without doubt,
would relish the lamb for a meal. He likes the
dog and is very kind to the lamb. The
dog has faith in the lion, knows the strength
of the lion ; yet notice the interesting actions
of that lion in complying with the wishes
of their trainer. He sees the trainer carry
the lion on his shoulders; the lion allows
the dog to stand on his back; there is a
mute but friendly understanding between
them; one has faith in the other.
Faith is the mainspring which regulates
the commercial world. A owes money to
B; he states to B that he wishes his time
74 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

of credit extended; B usually grants the


favor. What is the material collateral upon
which B relies for the payment of the debt?
Bonds, stocks, real estate, currency in banks,
you will say. True; but do not stocks vary?
Does not real estate depreciate? Do not
banks fail? B relied upon one thing; he
thought nothing serious would occur; he
knew A to be honest, and, in plain language,
he simply took a chance. He has faith in
the banks, real estate, stocks and in Mr. A.
Why will a bank pay money for a mortgage,
for a piece of railroad paper called a bill of
lading, or allow a well known man to slightly
overdraw his account ? The answer is Faith.
Why does the president of a bank or of a
railroad or steamship company, of a gigantic
trust, corporation, even of the United States
Treasury, accept the figures shown in a
balance sheet made up by the auditors?
He believes them to be true and correct;
at least, correct mathematically. Man is
eternally inclined to be honest until tempta-
tions are placed in his way. The president
or managing officer of the corporation has
observed that his subordinates have been
faithful in the past, and while knowing the
frailty of human nature, he makes up his
mind that there are more chances of a man
acting rightly than wrongly. In plain
language, he takes a chance. He has ac-
quired faith in certain people whom he
knows.
MESMERISM AND (XAIRVOYANCY. 75

Probably not thirty per centum of the


traffic of the entire world is done upon a
cash basis. If the strongest banks in the
world would attempt to pay all depositors
today, where would the currency material-
ize? It is not in the banks, because the
banks have loaned a portion of it to people
other than depositors who would wish to
draw it in case of adversity. Still the banks
have faith in the people of the world, and
the exchange of debit and credit goes on.
Perhaps it is not going too far to say
that but for the faith, be it of great or small
degree, which each person has, life would
be unbearable. What depressing effects
would seize the heart of a great scientist,
inventor, author, archaeologist, philanthro-
pist, and many others, were they to believe
that their discoveries, inventions, researches
and good deeds failed to be recognized,
thus being productive of no good to them-
selves or the world at large! More so would
the people in the ordinary walks of life feel
the depressing effects of a non-faith doctrine.
Their motto would be, "To-day we live, to-
morrow we survive." And the question
would be forced to their minds, as it no
doubt is in the case of thousands in the world
to-day, "Why were we placed in the world?"
Such a state of despair would exclude the
truth of a past, the reality of any good in
the present, and the lost hope of a future;
the individual downcast, the community
76 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

skeptical, the municipality without law and


order, the state tottering, and the nation
looking aghast with blanked countenance
into an awful nothingness — perhaps praying
for the midnight stroke of the crack of
doom.
Faith, in its
religious aspect, has the
effect of producing upon the individual the
accepted truth that our lives are finally to
be immortal; that there is a happiness beyond
the earthly grave; that good shall be re-
turned for good, and evil for evil; that a
Divine Providence rules and regulates, at an
appointed time, all the inconsistencies of
each individual. Though religions and be-
liefs may be enumerated by the hundreds,
yet **the predominating idea is as above
stated. The individual who has fixed,
stated religious beliefs accepts the doctrine;
the individual without fixed religious beliefs
accepts the doctrine with some modifica-
tions; the agnostic, perhaps, stands alone.
Most individuals wish to be respectable;
others wish, at least, to appear to be respect-
able. Church, temple and synagogue have
the effect of keeping individuals cognizant of
their divine duties, of causing individuals to
maintain a high order of deportment, at least
while they are within a religious edifice,
and causing an acquaintance with each other
which finally offers opportunities for social
interchange on many matters not directly
or indirectly religious. This social inter-
MESMERISM AND CI,AIRVOYANCY. 77

change enters the commercial world as well


as the home, and is partly the result of the
church, and church is the result of religion,
and religion is the result of Faith.
It is thus shown that, while all church-
goers may not be religious, their laxity does
not render them entirely oblivious to the
fact that a religious belief tends to enhance
their moral standing as members of a re-
spectable community; that, while their
church does not seem to force their thoughts
to dwell most sincerely on the highest reli-
gious conception, it nevertheless is a
medium through which is transmitted that
invisible, intangible, holy, pervading sense
of duty which man owes to his Creator, to
his brother, to himself, to the mother earth
— that ethereal goodness emanating from
the word FAITH.
78 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

HOPE.

Hope is a sentiment entertained by an


individual, wherein something is desired to
transpire, or, having transpired, to culminate
in unison with the sentiments of the indi-
vidual. I will deal with hope in its relation
to the human being.
We hope for our progress or retrogression,
and for the progress or retrogression of
other human beings, animals, brutes, fowls,
reptiles and all other forms possessing life.
Secondly, we hope for certain changes or
non-changes in inanimate objects of every
description.
To commence with self. I hope that I
may be happy, rich, famous, virtuous,
healthy, all of these states to transpire in
this world; or, should I elect, in the worlr*.
hereafter; or, and it is possible, that circum-
stances might suggest it, I may hope for
the reverse of these above enumerated states,
at least during my stay in this world. I
may be happy; I hope for a time in the
future when I shall be happy; being unable
or untrained to create my own happiness
at this very instant, I accept the situation
resignedly, unwillingly or willingly, as my
mental powers direct; I do not know that
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 79

any change or cause shall ever take place


to justify my hope. But since it has never
been demonstrated that such changes or
causes are impossible, and it has been demon-
strated possible, and to say further that
they really occur, I am forced to the side
which has evidence of its truth, rather than
to the side which .has no evidence of its
possibility. The reasoning applies to every
state in which we desire to be placed. The
history of the world shows that the nations
have changed in thought, in government, in
customs, in dress, in language, and all other
elements not as important as the foregoing.
Radical changes have been made for the
better or for the worse; in instances, nations
have attempted or succeeded in retracing
their steps to conform to former lines of
action; in a word, there has been a change,
individuals have observed the changes, and
they know that should occasion demand, a
change is not only possible but probable.
The individual has observed changes in
his own life; he recollects that at some time
in his past he was either unhappier or hap-
pier than he is at present ; that he was poorer
or richer than at present; that his knowl-
edge of certain things has increased or
diminished; that his hopes were justified by
certain events transpiring thereafter, and
even in events which he regarded as more or
less fatal, and which culminated in an
agreeable and, in some cases, wished-for
SO PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

ending. This individual rightly reasons that


a recurrence of all these manifestations is
possible, because he has experienced them,
and his hopes were sometimes realized.
Transferring the subject from self to that
of our brother (for, speaking broadly, we
are all brothers), it is remarkable to ooserve
the coincidences of good feeling to a second
person, and the good wishes of the first
person. A says to B, "I hope you will be
'
lucky in your enterprise.' B prospers in
the enterprise. Let us assume that A has
not had an opportunity to render B any
material help; still the thought of good-
will conveyed to B was gratifying; he knows
of other individuals who listened to the same
words, and some of these individuals suc-
ceeded; if reverses should occur, B. could
at least go to A and relate his ill-luck; A
would at least sympathize with him, if not
advise him; in any event, there would be a
, division of the unhappiness for a time, sup-
plemented by a hope for better conditions.
This is a proof almost mathematically true;
the hope instilled into the elements com-
posing A and B, or either, has an elevating
effect, and even assuming that no material
benefit followed, a benefit of some devotion
was, in the interim, experienced by B.
It may be said that hope is a reserve
which no individual is without. He may
cast it aside as often as he will, still it forces
itself upon him, and while imagining that
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 81

it is a mirage, yet he says, "Icould control


this cause; I could produce that effect; I
wish that I. could." In his reasoning he,
though perhaps unconsciously, proves that
it is possible to extricate himself from his
dilemma or attain his wish. Of course
certain cases would require what are called
superhuman efforts; yet if there be such
efforts, the possibility of consummation is
not removed. The limitations of hope can-
not be determined. By this I mean that
it matters not how difficult of fulfillment a
desire seems, or that it may even require what
is called some phenomena of nature, and
even miraculous force, to cause a hope to be
realized, an individual may indulge in that
hope. For example, I may hope to be cured
of a disease — quick consumption; I observe
that cures are improbable; still, science has
not demonstrated that it cannot be cured,
and when coupled with the known fact that
eminent physicians have discovered an anti-
toxine which they have successfully admin-
istered in an isolated case, it proves that
the science of medicine is not thoroughly
understood by any living being. The same
may be said of chemistry; the forces of
chemical elements are not thoroughly under-
stood, because every chemical element is
not known. Geology is no rigidly fixed
science; questions arise at this very day
concerning the age of the Niagara gorge.
So physicians, chemists, geologists and other
82 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

scientists disagree in the phenomena of


earth and nature. Therefore, an individual
may consistently hope for a new truth, a
change, or even an upheaval of earth, new
theories in science, religion, biology, and
have his hopes realized. An individual
may not hope to re-create himself in an
image of his present physical body. That
is why it is of no avail to hope for the new
growth of limb or other member of the phys-
ical body, which limb or member having
been crushed, torn from, or amputated from
the body; for could an individual reproduce
a member that has been severed, he could
also reproduce any other portion of his
body; this would be equivalent to re-creat-
ing himself. Man has never been able to
perform this; therefore, man entertains no
hope of ever being able to do so. Were he
thus endowed, he could defy the laws of the
universe, and prevent a survival of the
fittest. Nothing on this planet is perman-
ent; were not this true, there would be no
room for new inventions; advancement in
science, art, government, religion and general
culture would be retarded, and would result
in a gradual decline of the people thinking,
because they would not hope for certain
changes, therefore would accomplish noth-
ing which might tend to effect the changes.
Hope, when indulged in, is a solace to
the mind. What hours of mental anguish
have been shortened by the faint mental
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 83

image of desire that some wrong may be


righted, that some honest action may pre-
vail, that some undiscovered affliction may
be compensated by some unexpected happi-
ness! What hours of misery have been
spent by the loving mother, the fond father,
the trusting sister, the friendly brother, in
their meditations over the probable loss of
one of their family circle! And what mo-
ments of relaxation were experienced by
them, when comforted with information
that the cause of their anxieties were un-
founded, or at least were improbable! Yes,
even hoping against hope is a faint mirage
of peace, and it were better so; for cursed
^ndeed would be the mental faculties of
those who cannot hope that right will some
day be might, that justice shall eventually
prevail, that all things shall change, that we
shall change with them, and some day all
be a memory of a physical past.
84 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OI^

HEALTH.

Health is a condition of the body, and


while our treatises on health teem with in-
formation, it is to be observed how different
are the opinions of physicians and scientists.
I do not mean to be understood as saying
that the aforementioned experts in the line
do not agree on what means should be em-
ployed to retain and improve health. I mean
that they differ in their opinions of th^
values of certain nutritious foods, the methods
and required quantities of ventilation, the
modes, the energies and duration of certain
calisthenic exercises, and the amount of sleep
required.
The world is becoming a sleepless race;
eight hours for labor, eight hours for recrea-
tion and eight hours for sleep are the three
accepted divisions of our twenty-four hours.
I do not know whether or not the divisions
could be modified so that a general physical
condition would be the result; and this
knowledge, could it be discovered, might not
have any effect on the average individual,
because he would deviate to some extent
from any newly discovered truth, as his sense
of strength, endurance and activity might
direct. In their present respective condi-
MESMERISM AND CIvAIRVOYANCY. 85

tions, some need eight hours' sleep, some ten


hours, and so on, but not ad infinitum. It
would be a condition to be deplored were
an individual compelled to labor twelve hours,
then allowed to rest but twelve hours; and
it would be a condition in physical, mental
and mathematical violation of all earthly-
laws were an individual compelled to work
thirteen hours, then allowed to rest but
eleven hours; so if the eight hour allotment
is not physiologically perfect, it is a good rule,
and a better one than most of us employ.
The man who works day in and day out at
manual labor of an exhausting nature needs
more than eight hours; the woman who is
compelled to work in any manufacturing
establishment for nine hours a day, at duties
wnich admit of no variety of turn or conge-
nial elements, needs more than eight hours.
Speaking generally, those who are placed in
many positions in life, of which I cite but
the two above classes, are not favorably situ-
ated to take the needed time for sleep. The
only facts which may contradict my state-
ment are, that those so unfavorably situated
are not restricted by any law to eight, nine
or ten hours' sleep ; that they are at liberty
to control their hour or two of evening chat
or other recreation; that they are at liberty
to curtail the time spent in intellectual ad-
vancement; that they should, in a word,
renounce any pleasure or duty interfering
with their needed rest.
86 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

The other side of the story reveals the


fact that those whose daily work admits of
time for recreation and sleep do not, as a
rule, take advantage of the time set apart
for sleep; they go to work at nine o'clock
in the morning, quit at five o'clock in the
afternoon and do not retire until midnight.
These two phases of the subject, represent-
ing individuals whose occupations are not
congenial and those whose occupations are
relatively congenial, will suffice to show that
one law of health is not within favorable
control of certain classes, and is within the
favorable control of other classes; and as the
law is violated by those who are in a favor-
able position in relation to it, it follows that
it would be violated were all classes in favor-
able control of the needed time.
A word about alcoholic and narcotic stim-
ulants. It is presumption to dwell on
the evil effects of these two stimulants, for
the reason that they are handled so ably,
up to the present day, by eminent physiol-
ogists, chemists and physicians. I shall
merely say, how remarkable is the force of
habit Some persons believe that liquors and
!

beers are a tonic. Granted. But why are


these same persons so prone to indulge in
them at regular intervals, whether or not they
need a tonic ? And why do they indulge to a
greater extent than that which would be
necessary as a tonic, and greater than would
be necessary to allay thirst? No law, no
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 87

custom, no obligation forces a, person to drink


quors and beers to that extent which under-
lines his system; he uses a greater quantity
lan he needs, yes, a greater quantity than
is sense of taste craves, merely because it
is customary with some one else to do the
same. He wants to satisfy himself with the
pleasure inherent in such a custom. He also
smokes tobacco; he knows it is more or less
harmful; yet he wills that he use it, and
discover and partake of the pleasure because
he has observed others using the weed and ap-
parently enjoying themselves in the indul-
gence. Place these same individuals in
course of training for an athletic con-
test, and no admonition will be necessary;
they will voluntarily discard their drinking
and smoking, or else modify their use to the
minimum limit.
In our diet we generally aim to please the
palate instead of our whole organism; we
eat everything that is placed on the market
and branded as an edible. Whether any
particular bill of fare is, in all climates and
under any circumstances, the best, is a
question that can be answered by saying no;
but whether certain articles could be dis-
pensed with in any climate can be answered
by saying yes. A striking illustration of our
belief that all kinds of meats and artistically
manufactured or carefully prepared confec-
tions are necessary is afforded by observing
the volume of trade in these lines. How
88 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

familiar is that salutation received when, on


entering a restaurant, you are greeted with
the words, "roast beef/' "beefsteak," "lamb
chops," "ham and eggs," "tea or coffee," "pie
or pudding!" The roast beef is not so soft
and juicy as the beef that you get at home;
the beefsteak is somewhat tough; the ham
is thin and somewhat crisp; the tea and
coffee are merely fluids; the pie and pud-
ding are acceptable, and at any rate are not
so harmful. Then let us say a word about
the hotels, where the patronage is varied, and
people of various climates expect a wide bill
of fare from which to select. After the soup
comes the roast beef, turkey, fricassee chicken,
nitro-glycerine sausages, crab apples, harvey-
ized peaches and peas and pensioned bananas.
What a glorious fete would Napoleon have
had at Moscow, Wagram, Austerlitz, Jena
and Waterloo had his soldiers regaled them-
selves with our seven-course dinners on a
two-course stomach! How Plato would have
been inspired in his wisdom; how Plutarch
would have distorted his Lives into a modern
"Strong Men" show; and Sir Isaac Newton
would have written his Principia on the plan
of a short cut arithmetic, or, better still,
"Queries and Puzzles" for young folks! The
celebrated Tesla says that a radical reform
should be effected in the character of our food.
All animals have blood circulating in their
bodies. That portion of the blood going from
the heart is pure ; the other portion is impure

L.cfC."
MESMERISM AND CI<AIRVOYANCY.

and must go to the lungs for purification.


When an animal is killed, some of its blood
has not been purified by the lungs ; it follows
that the flesh of that animal is tainted to
some extent at the very instant of death
and more so as time advances. Therefore,
the argument advanced by some practical
people, that the best beef obtainable has
more muscle-building power than any vege-
tables or cereals, is fallacious; the beef in
question may invigorate the system for a
short period, but its effect is not permanent.
It has always been taught that meat should
be more thoroughly masticated than any
other article of food. If that be true, why is
it that some people who thoroughly masti-
cate it are dyspeptics, and others who dis-
regard the mastication are not dyspeptics?
If lions, tigers, cats and others of the feline
family swallow meat without first chewing it,
it follows that the meat fibers become sepa-
rated by the process of rapid decomposition,
and our custom of boiling and roasting it
renders it still easier of digestion; still they
say it does not digest. The fault is this: It
has not been proven that meat should or
should not be masticated; it has not been
proven that meat alone can sustain human
life as it does animal life, and it has been
proven that human life can be sustained
without the use of meat.
The free use of tea and coffee is more in-
jurious than the free use of probably any
90 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

other form of food. Some one called these


twin beverages, "the woman's intoxicant."
The description is apt enough. Take people
in the far East and some in South America
and Mexico, who are confirmed tea and coffee
drinkers, and you will observe that they are
somewhat obtuse-minded people; that, while
they are able to concentrate their minds on
their daily tasks, they have not the versa-
tile abilities of others in the same country
with them; and though climate affects all
of them, there are those who by indepen-
dent customs are more advanced in mental
powers than their near-by brothers. Tea and
coffee act on the nerves in somewhat the
same manner as the tobacco habit, and the
most that may be said in their favor is, that
they excite agreeable emotions, and the least
that may be said against them is, they are
partly of the drug family.
The use of gymnasiums is one of the
factors in developing the body, and it is
appreciated to a zealous extent by those who
patronize them The effect of the gymnasium
.

is far reaching, and at this day no communi-


ties of importance are to be found in which
there are not some persons who frequent a
gymnasium. To those who cannot afford
the money or time, there is still left the
privilege of calisthenic exercises; and it
seems unexplainable why it is not indulged
in to a greater extent; it costs nothing but
a short period of time each day. In some
MESMERISM AND CI.AIRVOYANCY. 91

if not all of the United States barracks, the


first exercise in the morning is a drill in
calisthenic exercises; in the warm seasons
the soldiers are assembled on the parade
grounds and put through the arm, leg, body,
chest and other simple but highly effective
movements, and without the use of dumb-
bells, Indian clubs or wands. Such exer-
cises develop lung power, strength a -nd elastic-
ity of limb, circulation of the blood, and
not a little addition to perfecting the dimen-
sions of both body and limbs; yet others
who have as much time at their disposal
as would be requisite for the simple exercises
do not employ much time to that advantage.
They make it a practice to arrange their time
so that they may have just time enough to
dress, eat breakfast, then start to work. It
is the same as with eating — of no avail to
.

impress upon them the benefits to be derived


from some habits called calisthenic exercises,
though it costs them nothing.
Daily bathing is another factor in the
laws of health. It is known that among the
poorer classes this ablutionary luxury is
merely known and not practiced. The com-
mittees of public works in our cities are, in
a great measure, responsible for the fact
that favorable bathing facilities are ^iot in-
stalled in every dwelling where a man,
woman or child dwells. The space required
is not of much value. The accepted objec-
tion is that plumbing and water supply
92 PRACTICAL TEACHINGS OF

entail additional expense. They seldom


think of expenses when establishing a large
police force, a large army of political school
teachers, battalions of municipal clerks, and
it has been proven, certain supernumeraries,
to the maximum limit; thus all classes are
not within favorable facilities; but it can-
not be denied that nearly all are in possession
of favorable facilities — merely soap and
water. This argument resolves itself into
another demonstration of the fact, that we
are generally prone to avoid that which
requires inconvenience on our part; another
instance of how we neglect our health.
The individual who accepts circumstances
as they come has a pleasant word for all;
he condemns nothing without first using
his powers of perception . Such a man may
not be an athlete, but his health is better
than that of a fretter, or he imagines it is,
which is nearly the same thing. He who is
constantly worrying about to-morrow is
undermining his health by causing abnormal
quantities of blood to flow to the brain,
weakening his nerves and causing his flesh
and muscles to become loose and flabby.
His thinking power becomes confused, his
utterances are not indicative of reflection,
and a state of absent-mindedness, to some
extent, is observable in every individual who
worries upon every occasion when things do
not transpire according to his expectations.
Recollect some occasion when you felt de-
MESMERISM AND CI<AIRVOYANCY. 93

pressed, and shortly afterward received


news of some good fortune falling to your
lot. Did you not then feel active, pleasant
and even equal to performing difficult tasks?
You looked pleasant because you felt so;
fatigue left you; you forgot your real or
imaginary weakness. Now think of the
nervous days spent in worry, and how much
better your health could have been had you
not worried; furthermore, the worry was
useless, having caused no plan of action to
change your state, and things transpired for
the good. Care will kill a cat, and constant
worry will kill an individual.
It is not so easy to acquire a genial tempera-
ment as it is to acquire a correct habit with
regard to sleeping, eating, bathing, exercise
and other duties. But it costs nothing but
will power to endeavor to assume a restful
state of mind . Recollect that misfortunes are
general, and that somebody must help to
bear the general load; that if you were un-
justly assigned to part of the work, some-
body else was chosen to bear the other part ;
that there is an earthly end to all these
irregularities, and as some individuals have
learned this and seemed to be more contented
thereby, so it may be with yourself; and as
you owe it to yourself to maintain and im-
prove your general health by training your-
self to indulge in hopeful thoughts and
kindly deeds, you violate the law of nature
to your own detriment if you act otherwise,

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